Rise in children living in poverty in the north

Claire Simpson

26 June, 2015 01:00

THE number of children living in poverty in the north increased within a year, according to new figures. Around 23 per cent of children, around 101,000, were in poverty in 2013/14 compared to 20 per cent in the previous year. The current definition of child poverty is whether a child lives in a household with an income less than 60 per cent of the national average. Overall figures released by the British government showed 2.3 million children were classed as living in relative poverty. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said UK poverty levels were the "lowest since the mid-1980[...]